A wallaby at the Cincinnati Zoo is pregnant again — but this pregnancy is a special one that surprised even zoo workers.
Ava the wallaby has not bred since her baby Pocket emerged from her pouch last year, a media release from the Cincinnati Zoo says. Still, she has a new joey in her pouch.
Was it a miracle?
The zoo has a better explanation.
Ava was pregnant when she arrived in Cincinnati in early 2020, carrying a fertilized embryo in addition to Pocket. Some mammals have the ability to put their pregnancies on pause, a process called “embryonic diapause,” the zoo says. Pocket emerged while Ava’s other embryo continued to develop.
Now, the new joey has made its way into his mom’s pouch and will emerge soon.
The zoo says that the little wallaby has just opened its eyes and is ready to start growing hair.
Watch the zoo's video of the new joey wiggling within Ava’s pouch on Facebook.
